Rory McIlroy pulls off stunning victory after last-hole collapse by Adam Scott

RORY McIlroy didn't feel completely absolved as he stood behind Adam Scott to sign the winning scorecard.

Elation, relief and satisfaction all greeted his maiden win of 2013.

So too, guilt.

Sunday's breakthrough victory came at a heavy emotional cost for vanquished playing partner Adam Scott, who virtually conceded the Stonehaven Cup with a final hole meltdown.

"It was hard not to feel some sort of guilt the way I won it," McIlroy said.

"I knew what it meant and the way the tournament finished for him. Having a one shot lead going down the last and having it taken away at the end, it's tough.

"I've been in that position before and it's not nice."

Although Australians might remember McIlroy as the villain who gate crashed Scott's Triple Crown party, his affable and down-to-earth demeanour does not justify the tag.

Amid the teeth gnashing that accompanied Scott's string of lipped-out birdie putts, McIlroy quietly compiled a flawless six-under round of 66 in the face of two vile hecklers who yelled his surname in a condescension on the back nine.

An eagle sandwiched between two birdies wiped the four-shot overnight deficit, but Scott regained the ascendency on the ninth with a fortunate that birdie that was holed after his wayward drive rocketed off a cameraman and onto the fairway verge.

On the road home it was McIlroy who rode his luck, particularly after Scott missed consecutive chances to bury his rival on the 16th and 17th.

On the contrary, the 24-year-old was forced to fight hard to save par on both holes. The pressure was conducive to reviving his best golf, and there was no better example than when he stood over a four-metre birdie putt on the 18th before a 10,000-strong gallery silently wishing him the worst.

"I didn't think it was going to unfold the way it did, standing on the 18th tee," he said.

"The putt was just my routine. I didn't do anything differently. I didn't think, 'This is for the Australian Open or this is for my first win of the year'."

The two-time major winner admitted his own worst enemy has lurked within over the course of 2013, over-accentuating his barren stretch because of youthful impatience.

Legal conflicts with sponsors have also been a distraction, but yesterday's win provided some valuable perspective.

"I've not plummeted off the face of the Earth - I'm still number six in the world. That's not too bad," he said.

"It's frustrating to know the level of golf you can play and then not play at that level.

"I never lost belief. I never lost that aspect of it.

"What I do know is that golfers have long careers and I'm 24 years old. I can get a little impatient at times if I don't step back and take a look at the bigger picture."

In regards to his Australian Open experience that big picture now extends from a 17-year-old amateur who first contested the event at Royal Sydney in 2006. Yesterday's triumph on the same course made him champion, a reminder for all that things are never as bad as they might seem.

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Adam Scott's 2013 will still go down as one of the best despite final-hole collapse

THE temptation was to view Adam Scott's final moments as failure.

Or for to see the eye-rubbing scenes on the 18th green at Royal Sydney on Sunday and neatly tie-up the comparisons with Greg Norman. Cough, cough.

Both were wrong, though, and more than a little unfair to Scott.

Regardless of Sunday's events at Rose Bay, the 2013 season of Adam Scott will still go down as one of the best in Australian golfing history.

Scott couldn't become the second man to win Australia's triple-crown but the fact it's still a one-man club indicates the toughness of the task.

To finish with two victories and a second in the Australian summer is no small feat; let alone the fact Scott wedged a fourth week of golf in between with a third place (and a teams victory) at the Golf World Cup.

A summer in which he pocketed $1.3 million in prizemoney is hardly failure, nor one where he shot 77 birdies, 11 sub-70 rounds and a combined total of 52-under par in four tournaments.

His overall statistics for the 2013 season are no less impressive. Over $6 million in prize money, four season victories and 36 of 76 rounds under 70. Not a single cut was missed all year.

But the lasting measure of Scott's place among the luminaries in Australian golf, of course, will forever be linked to that historic day in April.

By slipping into Australia's first ever Green Jacket, Scott shook a monkey of the country's back and single-handedly lifted the often meandering profile of the game in his homeland.

Importantly, Scott always understood his win was more than just an individual honour. He understood the value to a country who had suffered years of heartbreak, and took us for the ride at Augusta with the spine-tingling moment of year - that unforgettable "C'mon Aussie".

Scott understood, too, his obligation to bring the celebration home this summer.

So for a month, Scott not only spread the Green Jacket goodness, he played sublime golf and entertained fans to boot. Over one hundred thousand fans saw him do in the flesh, and many multiples of that on the tube. He signed autographs until his wrist ached and gave interview after interview after interview.

Three titles would have been great. But one slip on one hole on one afternoon was never going to tarnish the incredible 2013 of Adam Scott.

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Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy last-round battle at Australian Open one of the best

RORY McIlroy watched his four metre putt roll in to win the Australian Open and shared a thought with most of the country: "What the hell just happened?".

"I can't believe I just won," McIroy said later, when asked what emotion had accompanied the winning shot. "I didn't think it was going to unfold the way it did, standing on the 18th tee."

No-one did, least of all Adam Scott.

With just one hole to play on Sunday at Royal Sydney after a tenacious last round battle with McIlroy, Scott held a one-shot lead.

After a spectacular 2013 Masters-winning season, Scott was poised to make even more history by wrapping up the Australian Open as the third leg of the triple crown.

Then things went awry. After "misjudging the wind", Scott hit a club too many past the 18th green and into a gully.

Remarkably, the ultra-consistent Scott then duffed his chip way past the hole and had to putt back for a bogey.

McIlroy suddenly had a birdie putt to win. It dropped,and for only the second hole of the 72, Scott wasn't leading the Australia Open.

McIlroy had broken his title drought and won the Stonehaven Cup.

"I am disappointed to make an error on the last and open a door for Rory. I had tried to keep it closed all day the best I could," Scott said.

"I misjudged the wind into the last, and a player as good as Rory is going to take that opportunity.

"I am gutted. I felt like I have never had a better chance to win the Aussie Open. But it was tight, the whole back nine. Rory played so good."

Scott attempted to keep up the broad smile but the pain was clear. The world no.2, who'd shot a tentative, defensive round of 71, blamed his cold putter for the day's woes.

It allowed McIlroy, who'd started four shots back, to surge back level by the eighth hole and make it game on.

"It was going to be a tough day no matter what. Rory made his move and I just couldn't knock in the putts you expect to make," Scott said.

"I could have put this thing away earlier if the putting was behaving how it should have, how it was the rest of the week."

After making just 24 putts in his hot round of 62, Scott's broomstick could only sweep in a frosty 35 yesterday.

Agonisingly close missed birdie putts on 16 and 17 gave McIlroy heart.

"I just stayed patient. I knew that anything could happen on this golf course. If you just hit it into a tricky spot like Adam did on 18, these things can happen," McIlroy said.

Scott admitted he was "gutted" but didn't want the loss to leave a bad taste about 2013.

"It's been a great year obviously," Scott said.

"I didn't want to finish like that but If I didn't play any good for the first three days and played great and finished second, I would be pretty chuffed going into Christmas. That's how I should look at it.

"I will get over this tonight, and look forward to a few week's rest."

As a good mate, an almost rueful McIlroy said he felt for Scott in losing at the death but lavished the Australian with praise for both his achievements and his character.

"It's a real credit to him that he came down and played all four weeks," McIlroy said.

"He sort of knew what responsibility he had coming down as Masters champion; the first Australian to win a green jacket, and that's just the sort of guy he is.

"He's a true gentleman and what I said at the prize ceremony there, he's a credit to the game but he's also a credit to this country. I was just lucky to be able to come out on top today."

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The super-popular golfing phenomenon that is Adam Scott

THE warning signs began last Thursday.

Men, women and children were lining up to get into the Australian Open at 5.45am.

They arrived prepared to stand 10-to-15 deep, just to catch a glimpse of Adam Scott in the flesh.

The Royal Sydney turnstiles have kept rolling all week, as have Scott's putts into the hole.

Mass-media coverage and a spike in TV ratings gave a hint that something special was brewing.

A round-one course record of 10-under from Scott was the prefect teaser.

Bookies reacted by squeezing the 33-year-old's already short-price odds even tighter to win today's Australian Open.

But nobody could've ever predicted this.

The Sunday Telegraph can today reveal the fascinating results of a study conducted last week by leading global sports marketing and sponsorship research company Repucom, which shows that Scott is now considered more popular in the US than Tiger Woods.

The research findings also underline the impact of Scott's stunning US Masters victory last April, which was witnessed by over 37 million people.

And as Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt respectfully hinted last week, if Scott hasn't already, he is on the verge of usurping Greg Norman's popularity.

Norman's charisma catapulted interest and participation of golf in Australia during the mid-1980s and early '90s of which has never been realised by the sport again.

Until now.

Repucom's detailed impact-study analyses six influential categories relating to celebrities or athletes before determining the results. In this case, Scott was compared to the biggest names in world golf, current world no.1 Woods and Ireland's current world no.3 Rory McIlroy.

In every category, Scott finished ahead of Woods and McIlroy.

The study attracted 11,000 respondents from across the US and Australia.

The six categories measured were: Awareness, Appeal, Breakthrough, Trendsetter, Influence, Trust, Endorsement and Aspiration.

In every category, Scott finished ahead of Woods and McIlroy.

Adam Scott is ahead of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods in the celebrity DBI scores for international golfers.

And perhaps even more intriguing was that in all six categories, Woods finished last.

When it came to awareness, which indicates the percentage of people who are aware of the celebrity either by name or face, Scott attracted 75 per cent - the largest percentage of his two main competitors.

When it came to trust, which indicates the level of trust that people place in the golfer's words and image, Woods has clearly failed to recover from his salacious affairs which led to the split with wife, Elin Nordegren four year ago.

Less than half (44 per cent) of the respondents trust Woods, while 68 per cent have faith in Scott.

Repucom managing director of Australia and New Zealand Lynne Anderson said the research clearly indicates Scott's appeal as a global brand and ambassador for golf in Australia.

"Winning his first major championship this year, the Masters, meant he equalled his highest career ranking and although he failed to produce the same results later in the US Open, Scott certainly proved he is worthy of his critical acclaim,'' Anderson said.

"Adam Scott has achieved a remarkable public opinion position where he currently sits at the top of all attributes.

"He appears to be the ultimate sports all-rounder. Globally successful in his chosen sport and well-liked and respected.

"His local appeal complementing the global consumer ratings.''

Charismatic, articulate, polite and a downright good bloke, Scott, according to those closest to him, hasn't changed from the boy who first took up the sport by hitting plastic golf balls.

Steve Williams summed up the appeal of Scott recently.

The most sort-after caddy in golf and respected offsider to Scott was asked in a magazine interview how working with the popular Australian differed from previous stints on the bag of golfing gods Tiger Woods, Peter Thomson, Raymond Floyd or Greg Norman.

"It's the first time I can genuinely say that I'm caddieing for a friend," Williams answered.

But this afternoon, out on the heavily bunkered and at-times blustery Royal Sydney course of the Australian Open, is no time for nice guys.

The autographs hunters, happy snaps with teenagers and the mothers of teenagers, will have to wait.

Scott, or Adam Hot, as his female fans prefer to call him, is chasing the Triple Crown of Australian golf - which includes winning the Australian Masters, Australian PGA and Australian Open.

He also has Tigers in his sights - and it has nothing to do with popularity contests.

The Open's Stonehaven Cup might be the prize, but valuable ranking points are what Scott, a perfectionist, cherishes equally, as he zeroes in on his boyhood dream of becoming the world no.1 of golf.

Victory this afternoon will inch Scott closer to Woods, who sits aloft on the world rankings three points clear of the clean-hitting Queenslander.

It's a position which according to former US Masters and British Open runner-up and Australian golfing great, Jack Newton, is only a matter of time before Scott makes his own.

"He can do it,'' Newton told The Sunday Telegraph.

"To accrue that number one spot, I think Adam is probably thinking about more Majors rather than playing more tournaments and he's playing good enough golf to do that.''

Scott admits it's confidence at the moment which, if anything, separates him from the rest of the field, including McIlroy, who has failed to win a single tournament in 2013.

Scott has also been forthcoming about his ambition to be the world's best.

It's a dream that has never waned despite the many obstacles along the way, including letting last year's British Open slip.

"I'm not going to stop dreaming of it just because Tiger Woods holds the number one spot,'' Scott said during a press conference last Wednesday.

"But Tiger won't want to give up that number one spot very easily either, so he'll be off working on it. It doesn't take much to motivate him to want put someone back in their place.''

If Scott's brilliance with the blade over the past three days in Sydney is anything to go by, a showdown with Woods in 2014 is inevitable.

At least we know who will boast the most fans.

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Adam Scott set to claim Australian Open victory with Rory McIlroy his only big challenger

UPDATE: AS recently as a month ago, Adam Scott did not dare predict the final chapter of the fairytale would unfold like this. A capacity gallery sweating on his every stroke. A clean sweep of all three Australian majors at his mercy. His place in local golfing folklore sealed.

A former world No.1 in Rory McIlroy is the only menace realistically capable of destroying the dream. A perfect climax for a perfect season.

This is how Scott will sign-off on 2013, the year where his popularity has risen beyond the fairways and pro shops and into the imaginations of all Australian sports fans.

He will stand on the elevated first tee at Royal Sydney today with a four-stroke advantage, just 18 holes separating him and membership of the uber elite Triple Crown club alongside Robert Allenby. Standing opposite him will be McIlroy, the lone threat on a third day leaderboard that finished more strung out than the Flemington straight on Melbourne Cup day. "To have this opportunity is unreal," Scott said.

"I've talked about the possibility because Robert (Allenby) has done it. It's a lot of golf to play well.

"To finish it off would be an incredible way to finish the year. It would be sad if I didn't finish it off tomorrow."

The traditional moving day saw precious little change at the summit of the leaderboard as Scott survived some wayward driving to complete a tenacious 68, doubling his overnight lead against the Northern Irishman. For McIlroy, the difference weighed heavily back to a disastrous bogey, double-bogey brace at the fourth and fifth holes, which saw him momentarily plummet back to fifth.

A flawless display from there on booked a sequel of yesterday's dream final pairing, putting tournament organisers on course to smash recent Australian Open attendance records. McIlroy could have been even closer had he drained a simple four-foot putt on the last hole. "It was big," McIlroy lamented.

"I hit a good putt, but I just misread the green." Thanks to that lapse, Scott will wake this morning more relaxed, his destiny in no one else's hands with the next closest rivals - Max McCardle, Matthew Jones and Richard Green - eight shots adrift. "Four shots (over McIlroy) is a slightly better buffer," Scott said.

"It doesn't mean that it can't disappear quickly, but it does mean they have to do something to eat away.

Crowds strained at the ropes on just about every hole, with younger fans taking advantage of their nimble limbs to watch the prize fight from tree branches. What they witnessed was more akin to a slugfest for survival, rather than a memorable showcase of clean striking. Apart from a run of three straight birdies, the testing conditions kept Scott within sight on the back nine after he surged to a five-shot lead at the turn.

"I missed a lot of fairways with the driver and that was a bit uncharacteristic," he said. "For (today) to go smoothly I'm going to have take some pressure off from chipping and pitching out from under trees. That's not how you win golf tournaments on Sundays."

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Hull eyes 'Rookie of the Year' title

Charley Hull will be hoping to seal the 'Rookie of the Year' title with a victory in this week's Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.

Fresh from posting a strong top-five finish in the Women's Indian Open, England's teenage Solheim Cup heroine is currently leading the standings on the Ladies European Tour, followed closely by fellow Englishwoman Holly Clyburn in what promises to be a thrilling finish to the race.

"My game is good enough this year. I've had a great season and just need that first win to top the season off. Hopefully, I'll win this week," said the 17-year-old rookie professional from Kettering, who boasts nine top 10s, including five straight runner-up finishes.

"I really can't wait to get to Dubai, to be honest. I'm so excited and I've been counting down the days because I've never been before and I've heard it's really good," Hull said before flying to Dubai from New Delhi.

"I've seen pictures of the golf course and it looks really pretty," said Hull, who will join world number three Stacy Lewis of the US, defending champion and world number four Shanshan Feng, the great Laura Davies and Thailand's rising star Pornanong Phatlum among other elite golfers in a strong field of 108 players, represented by 29 countries.

Lewis, the 28-year-old professional from Texas, will be the player to watch. The winner of this year's Women's British Open at St Andrews had defied tremendous odds to pursue her golfing career at the top level.

Diagnosed with scoliosis when she 11, the determined Texan was forced her to wear a back brace 18 hours a day for seven and a half years, but she kept the fire burning in adversity to become the number one ranked woman golfer in the world at one stage.

If Stacy is making her first appearance in Dubai, it will be the second for China's Shanshan Feng, who is rated as firm favourite to retain the title following her victory in the LPGA Titleholders Tournament - her second LGPA Tour title in two months.

If Feng wins the title again this year, she will be become the second player after Annika Sorenstam of Sweden to achieve the feat of winning back to back titles in Dubai.

"Of course, it's great fun to be back in Dubai, a city I like very much, and have an opportunity to win two in a row, but I will try not to think about it too much. They have such a strong field every year and anyone can win at any time," said Feng, who is also a brand ambassador for Omega.

The Omega Dubai Ladies Masters could well provide a snapshot of Thailand's growing power in women's golf with Pornanong Phatlum joining a galaxy of superstars from around the world.

Phatlum, who posted a creditable tied fifth finish at the $1 million Lorena Ochoa Invitational at Guadalajara in Mexico, is fast becoming a familiar name on the global circuit with impressive wins on the Ladies Asian Tour and the Ladies European Tour.

She is yet to make a big breakthrough on the LPGA Tour, but judging by the way she played en route to her victory in the 2012 HSBC Brasil Cup, it might just be history deferred. Phatlum fired a 6-under 67 at Itanhanga Golf Club in Rio de Janeiro to finish at 13-under-par and win by a good four-shot victory over Taiwan native Amy Hung.

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McIlroy hails important win

Rory McIlroy had some sympathy for the way in which he stole the Australian Open title from under Adam Scott's nose.

Scott was chasing a rare Australian triple crown after winning the PGA and Masters titles, and led for almost the entire week before losing the tournament to McIlroy on the 72nd hole.

The Northern Irishman had made inroads throughout the final round and trailed by only one shot heading to the 18th, where a bogey for Scott and a birdie for McIlroy saw him snatch the title.

"It's hard not to feel some sort of guilt in the way that I won it," said McIlroy.

"Adam is a phenomenal golfer, a great competitor and probably an even better guy. I feel a bit sorry that I was the one that ruined the triple crown for him but I'm happy and Adam should be proud of himself. He's a credit to the game and to this country."

Nevertheless, the win is an important one for McIlroy. It's his first since the DP Championship in 2012 and comes after a year that has seen him deal with his fair share of struggles on and off the course.

"It's been a frustrating year but I've worked hard and it's been a process, trying to get back to winning golf tournaments, and it was nice to do that today," he said.

"I just sort of stayed patient, I knew that anything can happen on this golf course, if you just hit it into a tricky spot like Adam did on 18.

"Luckily I was just able to make that putt at the end when I needed it.

"It's a very prestigious tournament and I am honoured to have my name on the trophy. I'm sure there is a lot of proud people who watched that today.

"I think I am more experienced and more patient now. I'm not getting as down on myself or not being as hard on myself because golf is a long career and you can't have too many highs and lows in terms of emotions.

"You've just got to try and keep it on an even keel and I feel like I've done a better job of that this year as the months have gone past.

"You know you have to go through the lows. And I'm not saying it was a low this year, it's not like I plummeted off the face of the earth.

"I'm still sixth in the world so it's not too bad. It's not the level that I feel like I can play to but I feel I'm getting back there, so it's very pleasing."

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McIlroy pips Scott in Sydney

Rory McIlroy finally has his first victory of 2013 after edging out Adam Scott on the 72nd hole of the Australian Open.

Scott started the day with a four-shot lead, seemingly on course to claim the triple crown of Australian golf after winning both the Australian Masters and PGA in recent weeks, but the Masters champion could only manage a 71 while McIlroy shot a superb 66 to seal the one-shot victory.

It all came down to the final hole, where McIlroy snatched a birdie as Scott bogeyed to see the lead change hands right at the death.

Highlights of McIlroy's round included an eagle at the par-five seventh and a birdie from close range on the very next hole.

Scott then birdied the ninth to retake a lead that had quickly evaporated, and after matching birdies on the 13th, they headed to the 18th with Scott still leading by one.

But Scott would miss the green and then overhit his chip shot to leave himself too long a putt for par, leaving McIlroy with a simple five-footer for a birdie and the title.

It's the Northern Irishman's first win since last year's DP Championship in Dubai.

"I stayed patient, I knew anything could happen," said McIlroy after his round.

"I always believed I could win, he (Scott) had a couple of chances but was unlucky.

"The support this week was phenomenal, the atmosphere was fantastic."

Of whether he would return next year, McIlroy added: "I've always tried to come back and defend wherever I've won."

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Rory McIlroy felt guilty after beating Adam Scott at the Australian Open

Rory McIlroy showed sympathy for Adam Scott after snatching the Australian Open title from under his nose.

Scott was seeking a rare Australian triple crown, after winning the PGA and Masters titles, and he had been in front for just about the whole tournament at Royal Sydney.

But a couple of mistakes at the 72nd hole, combined with a McIlroy birdie, meant the Northern Irishman ended a year-long wait for a title.

He had started the day four strokes behind Scott and led for the only time when he holed his winning putt on the final green, Scott having been in command since opening with a round of 62.

'Frustrating year'

"It's hard not to feel some sort of guilt in the way that I won it," said McIlroy, whose last win was in Dubai in November last year.

"Adam is a phenomenal golfer, a great competitor and probably an even better guy. I feel a bit sorry that I was the one that ruined the triple crown for him but I'm happy and Adam should be proud of himself. He's a credit to the game and to this country.

"It's been a frustrating year but I've worked hard and it's been a process, trying to get back to winning golf tournaments, and it was nice to do that today.

"I just sort of stayed patient, I knew that anything can happen on this golf course, if you just hit it into a tricky spot like Adam did on 18.

"Luckily I was just able to make that putt at the end when I needed it.

"It's a very prestigious tournament and I am honoured to have my name on the trophy. I'm sure there is a lot of proud people who watched that today.

"I think I am more experienced and more patient now. I'm not getting as down on myself or not being as hard on myself because golf is a long career and you can't have too many highs and lows in terms of emotions.

"You've just got to try and keep it on an even keel and I feel like I've done a better job of that this year as the months have gone past.

"You know you have to go through the lows. And I'm not saying it was a low this year, it's not like I plummeted off the face of the earth.

"I'm still sixth in the world so it's not too bad. It's not the level that I feel like I can play to but I feel I'm getting back there, so it's very pleasing."

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Rory McIlroy pips Adam Scott to grab Australian Open title on final green

Rory McIlroy pipped Adam Scott to victory in the Australian Open to claim his first tournament victory of 2013.

Scott was leading by one shot with just the 72nd hole to play, but a bogey combined with a birdie from McIlroy denied him the chance to win the Australian 'Triple Crown'.

McIlroy trailed by four shots going into the final round with the pair going head-to-head on the final day at Royal Sydney, the rest of the field needing a miracle to get into contention.

The former world No 1 made a big move on the seventh with an eagle and drew level with Scott when he birdied the eighth.

Scott edged ahead again but made a series of mistakes down the stretch, leaving McIlroy the chance to stay in touch.

Error

And he made a club selection error at the last, hitting his approach way over the green and failing to make par, leaving McIlroy with the chance to win a first Australian Open, a chance he took with aplomb.

"I am gutted, I felt like I never had a better chance to win the Australian Open," Scott said. "It was going to be a tough day, Rory made his move and I just couldn't get my putts in."

"Adam congratulated me on the green. It was hard not to feel some guilt in the way that I won it," said McIlroy.

"To be able to play your best golf when you need to, when you're under pressure, you can't ask for more. The perfect scenario was to achieve a win before the end of the season and thankfully I have done that."

McIlroy added: "It's been a frustrating year but I've worked hard and it's been a process, trying to get back to winning golf tournaments, and it was nice to do that today.

"I just sort of stayed patient, I knew that anything can happen on this golf course, if you just hit it into a tricky spot like Adam did on 18.

"Luckily I was just able to make that putt at the end when I needed it.

"It's a very prestigious tournament and I am honoured to have my name on the trophy. I'm sure there is a lot of proud people who watched that today."

John Senden won the race for third place, matching McIlroy's round of 66 to finish on 11-under with Rhein Gibson and Bryden McPherson sharing fourth ahead of Jason Day, who finished on eight-under.

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Hideki Matsuyama wins Casio World Open and Japan Tour money list

Hideki Matsuyama became the first rookie to win the Japan Tour money list when he clinched his fourth victory of the season at the Casio World Open.

The 21-year-old only turned professional in April but capped a brilliant debut season by pipping Yuta Ikeda at the Kochi Kuroshio Country Club course in southern Japan.

He held on to his overnight lead to defeat Ikeda by just one stroke with a final round 70 for a 12-under-par total of 276.

"It makes me happy to win a tournament and clinch the money title at a course where I practised golf when I was in middle school and high school," Matsuyama said.

"I have never played so patiently in tournaments in which I led going into the final round. I managed to hold on."

Matsuyama's victory increased his winnings for the year to an unassailable 201 million yen with one more tournament left in the Japan Tour's 25-event season.

Matsuyama has yet to win abroad but he tied for sixth on his debut at The Open at Muirfield this year, finished joint 10th at the US Open and 19th at the PGA Championship.

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